N.D. governor signs PBM bill into law

By Alaric DeArment

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The governor of North Dakota has signed into law a bill that would require pharmacy benefit managers to inform pharmacies about how reimbursement for generic prescription drugs is calculated under maximum allowable cost benchmarks and provide a more detailed appeals process to pharmacies to contest the MAC reimbursement caps that PBMs set up.

The bill, H.B. 1363, received unanimous support in both houses of the state's legislature, and Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed it into law Monday.

The bill received praise from a trade group that represents independent retail pharmacies. North Dakota has more than 200 independent pharmacies, according to the trade group, the National Community Pharmacists Association.

"This legislation will help give pharmacists a greater window into a secretive reimbursement process and give pharmacies avenues for redress such as when payments aren't updated when drug costs rise," NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey said.